It seemed like 2011 was the year of lawsuits both for and against Apple however 2012 is looking to be no different. In a fresh wave of legal attacks against Apple from its restless competitors, it’s now Motorola that is suing the Cupertino-based company on 6 counts of patent infringement in a Florida-based court.(more…)

Apple today has announced its Q1 earnings for the fiscal year 2012 – and the results are certainly not to be sniffed at. Q1 has been Apple’s best quarter ever with a reported $46.33 billion in revenue posted. The data, which is available for download from Apple’s corporate website, breaks down this pretty much incomprehensible sum into individual sources.(more…)

Beyond the hype and fanfare of last Thursday’s iBooks Author launch, some wannabe authors have been left with a sour taste in the mouth after delving into the terms and conditions of Apple’s new app designed to help newbies create textbooks for the iPad. Anyone who creates a textbook with Apple (and who charges a fee for it) must distribute it solely through Apple and agree to a wide range of extra terms and conditions, including the fact that you are required to enter into a separate agreement with Apple itself before any distribution of your work takes place.(more…)

In what could be described as an extremely fitting venue for an education announcement, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Apple announced today a range of tools designed to help people in education with their studies, namely an updated version of iBooks, iBooks 2, which is designed to integrate more closely with textbooks, iBooks Author, allowing users to create their own textbooks for the iPad and a new iTunes U app for the iPhone and iPad, allowing professors to communicate more easily with their students in the classroom.

Its products are ubiquitous around the world and each announcement from the company generates huge press attention, frantic tweeting and unparalleled excitement. But up till now, hardly anything is known about what actually goes on inside Apple’s core and how the company functions. The company is known for being one of the most secretive on the planet and even employes an internal security service – or Worldwide Loyalty Team (dubbed the Apple Gestapo by some employees) to investigate internal leaks.

“It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”
– Steve Jobs

According to Walter Isaacson, these words were spoken by Steve Jobs regarding a new television that Apple is working on (reportedly not a set-top box like the Apple TV but a real television). Over the past couple of months the rumor mill has been overflowing with speculation and supposed proof surrounding this mysterious device.

The only thing that we know for certain at this point is that we currently have no way of knowing which rumors are true, which are pure fabrication and which are somewhere in between.

One of the most interesting points of speculation surrounding the Apple television (iTV?) is the timeline. Some say that the device is something that Apple is planning for the distant future, perhaps when the cost of displays comes down. Others see a 2012 release as imminent.

What do you think? Is this thing real? If so, will we get our hands on it in 2012? Cast your vote in the poll and explain your answer in the comment section below.

Join us as we take yet another walk through recent Apple history and set the stage for the imminent arrival of the Apple television. We’ll take a look at how Steve Jobs went from denying that televisions and computers would ever merge to personally fueling the fire for the next great Apple media frenzy.

For the most part, Apple’s prices on its main products are fairly static (at least for individual purchasers). Students and teachers can get an education discount, and occasionally Apple will toss in an iPod or a printer for free, but generally Apple is a retailer that avoids the idea of frequent sales and discounts.

For this reason, the annual Black Friday sale is a pretty big deal for Apple fans looking to either get someone a gift or pick up a new computer for the office and score another deduction before the tax year ends. This year Apple didn’t really pull out any surprises with the sale: $101 off Macs, $41 off iPads, $21 off iPod touches; nothing too different from last year. These discounts might not seem like much compared to those offered by competitors, but for many Apple customers, it’s a rare opportunity that’s not to be missed.

According to 9to5Mac, the strategy paid off and led to the biggest sales day in Apple history. I’d definitely mark that one up in the success category! Today we want to know if you were a part of that success for Apple. Did you purchase anything on Black Friday? Vote in the poll on the right and then leave a comment below to let us know what new toys you picked up!

As we enter into the holiday season and approach the close of 2012, Apple continues to make headlines all over the world. Join us as we take a quick look at a few prominent stories that cropped up this week.